LeBron just misses triple-double as Cavs down Raps

Jan 20, 2010 - 4:07 AM
By TOM WITHERS
AP Sports Writer

CLEVELAND(AP) -- Shaquille O'Neal had one regret about moving into
elite NBA scoring air. It should have happened long ago.

O'Neal became the fifth player to score 28,000 career points,
and the Big Diesel made his enormous presence known at both ends
of the floor as the Cleveland Cavaliers began a long stretch of
home games with a 108-100 win over the Toronto Raptors on
Tuesday night.

O'Neal reached the major milestone with a layup in the first
minute. He was proud of the achievement, but felt it was
overdue.

"I've missed like 5,000 free throws," O'Neal said. "If I had at
least hit half of those, then I would be at 30,000 right now."

LeBron James scored 28 points and performed a few signature
dunks that won't be seen during the All-Star slam contest and Mo
Williams added 22 as the Cavs, who just returned from a long
road trip, improved to 15-3 at Quicken Loans Arena. They play 10
of their next 12 at home before Feb. 19.

The Eastern Conference leaders will host the Los Angeles Lakers
on Thursday night.

James had 11 assists and nine rebounds, missing out on No. 10
and a triple-double when he let a rebound slip out of his hands
in the final minute.

O'Neal added 16 points, assisted on two big baskets down the
stretch and set the tone for Cleveland's defense in the second
half by knocking down Toronto guards Demar DeRozan and Jarrett
Jack with hard fouls.

"There's no layups when Shaq is covering the glass," James said.
"That's what he's about. He doesn't care about putting guys on
the floor."

With a layup in the opening minute, O'Neal joined Kareem
Abdul-Jabbar (38,387), Karl Malone (36,928), Michael Jordan
(32,292) and Wilt Chamberlain (31,419) as the only players to
reach the milestone.

"I'm happy being No. 5. There are some great names in front of
me and some great names behind me," O'Neal said. "I've always
been a player that only gets happy about the big picture. It's a
great milestone but it's something I don't get too giddy about."

Chris Bosh scored 21 for Toronto but was limited to just five
after halftime by Cleveland's defense, which allowed 60 points
in the opening half. The Raptors only scored 17 in the fourth.

"They did a better job of clamping down defensively," Bosh said.
"We had a couple of mishaps down the stretch and they made us
pay for it."

Williams left briefly with a left shoulder strain but came back
and hit the game's biggest shot, a 3-pointer - off a feed from
O'Neal - with 5:27 left that gave the Cavs a 98-94 lead. James
found a cutting Anderson Varejao for a basket to put the Cavs up
by six and then James took a pass from O'Neal and slammed one to
make it 102-94.

"I've been known to be able to do something with the ball,"
O'Neal said in explaining his assists.

Cleveland's defense, nearly nonexistent for three quarters, put
its talons in the Raptors in the fourth quarter.

"We put our hard hats on and did it right," James said.

Andrea Bargnani scored 19 for Toronto, which lost for just the
fourth time in 14 games. Hedo Turkoglu scored three points - 10
below his average - and spent most of the game in foul trouble.

"I was afraid to walk by them (the officials), they might call a
foul," Turkoglu said.

Williams added 10 assists for the Cavs, who have won 10 straight
home games over the Raptors.

James has decided to skip next month's dunk contest, long
considered the premier event during the All-Star weekend's
festivities. At last year's event in Phoenix, James tentatively
put himself in the field after watching a competition he felt
needed a spark and some big names.

Now, he's not interested.

"I'm just not high on it," he said.

During the second quarter, James delivered a dunk that probably
would have earned a few "10s" from the judges. Williams drove
the baseline and delivered a no-look bounce pass to a slashing
James, who caught the ball and double clutched before pounding
it through the rim.

In the first half, the Raptors did almost anything they wanted
on offense. They got easy shots and moved the ball with ease
against Cleveland's shoddy defense. O'Neal finally took a stand
in the third quarter, sending a message to Toronto with two hard
fouls.

On the second one, which was O'Neal's fourth personal, the
325-pounder flattened Jack, who flopped to the floor and flung
his arm to one side for dramatic effect.

"That's a part of the game," Bosh said. "He's the biggest guy in
the league. If he bumps you, you're probably going to hit the
ground."

NOTES: Before the game, James and Browns Hall of Fame running
back Jim Brown signed large copies of a commemorative Sports
Illustrated edition they both appeared on. Afterward in the
locker room, James gave specific orders on how he wanted one
framed. "I want it to be legendary," he said. ... Raptors G
Sonny Weems pulled a rib cage muscle in pregame warmups and sat
out. ... Cavs F Jamario Moon is targeting a return next week
after missing two weeks with an abdominal strain.